WHEN the Czechs clinched a hard-fought play-off victory over Norway in Prague last November, securing their passage to Germany, the emotion of the occasion was too much for their stand-in captain.
"I dropped to my knees: it was just a huge sense of relief, and an outburst of pure joy," recalls Pavel Nedved, who was back in the team after 16 months of self-imposed exile. "This was what I came back for, and I enjoyed every single moment. I hones
tly thought that qualifying for the World Cup was going to remain an unfulfilled dream.
"The afternoon before the game, I was so nervous that I did not get a wink of sleep - it is the first time that has happened in my whole career. The play-offs were incredibly difficult. There was so much pressure to succeed, I felt like I'd aged at least five years. And when I saw the reactions of the fans after the final whistle, it began to dawn on me what we achieved and how much the nation had been longing for this."
In the absence of the suspended Tomas Galasek, the 33-year-old Juventus player was handed the captain's armband, and proved the driving force behind the Czechs' final push for the finals. Had it not been for a dramatic change of heart, however, he would not have been there. The disappointment of seeing his country, who were widely regarded as the team of the tournament, crash out of Portugal 2004 against Greece, was compounded by one injury too many, and he decided to end his international career.
"It wasn't easy at all, but the double burden of my national team and Juventus duties just seemed too much. I was struggling with injuries, so I decided I had to slow down a bit."
Despite his claims that one man does not make a team, Nedved's absence deprived the Czechs of thrust down the left flank and of a vital source of motivation. Whether acting as captain or not, he is the natural leader, though when he walked away in 2004, he was adamant that he was doing the sensible thing.
"I knew my days with the national team must end at some point. While I was sidelined with the knee injury, I realised it was getting more and more difficult for my body to cope with the pressure. So removing some of the pressure made sense, and withdrawing from the national team was a logical step. I had no regrets."
Except that he did. Eventually, a collective SOS from former teammates prompted his return before the play-off double-header, but he admits that he was answering the call of his own ambitions. "The guys phoned me straight from the dressing-room after their last qualification game in Finland to try and tempt me back. They showed me that they wanted me. At that point I realised really how much I'd missed being part of it. After all, the two remaining dreams in my career were to play in the World Cup and to win the Champions League with Juventus."
Before he could think about taking on Norway, there was the small matter of placating Mrs Nedved. "My wife was not at all pleased at first, as I promised her a long time ago that I would slow down. But, in the end, she was very supportive."
"I didn't feel like I'd been away for 16 months. I just needed to refresh my memory on the national team tactics for various set plays, corners and free-kicks. But the atmosphere in the national camp has always been unbelievable, and so it was easy to return. We all know what we're doing, there is a good relationship between the senior players and the younger ones. Everything works really well."
Nedved concedes that losing to the Greeks was a terrible blow.
"We had a great run in Portugal, and we definitely had the ability to win the tournament. We proved throughout the tournament that we could do it, and I still believe we didn't deserve to lose to Greece. We had more scoring chances, but we were just unlucky.
"Some might argue that we had some luck in the early stages of the tournament, so maybe it turned against us in the semi-final."
Nedved recalls another failure that seemed set to consign him to a lost generation. He and Karel Poborsky are the only survivors of the Czech team who lost to the Germans in the final of Euro '96. Back then, he says, they were "hungry dogs" of whom little was expected. Now, with one of the most experienced midfields, and perhaps the best goalkeeper in the tournament, they will be among the favourites to lift the World Cup.
"That's true. And with that comes greater pressure, but we also know how to handle it much better now. If you look at our team today, most of the players have experience playing in the top European championships.
"We have no reason to be afraid of any of the other teams, and with the World Cup so close to home, Czech fans will have a brilliant chance to get involved in the action."
If the bookmakers are right, the travelling support should be in for an extended visit, though Nedved has tasted disappointment too many times to make bold promises.
"But we've proven ourselves many times," he reflects. "If we play to the best of our abilities, anything can happen. We could go all the way, and we could fall at the first hurdle. What counts right now is that we are there.
"I'm not worried about who we play, but I'd have to say that I would have preferred not to be facing Italy. Having to break down their catenaccio defence is not something to look forward to."
Germany 2006 will almost certainly provide the final chapter in Nedved's international career, though he believes that enough vitality lingers in his legs to allow him a couple more years in Serie A.
"I'm not so young any more. I'm 33, and it's getting more and more difficult for my body to stay the pace. But if I stay free of injuries, this is my chance for a great swansong."
